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BE A SBOSSI ONOTWA BUDDY
A S O C I AT
N NE S
IN THE NEWS
SPOTLIGHT
E
IN O N I N S I D E BEST
A S S O C I AT ILIFE, YOU HAVE R
FRIENDS, CLOSE FRIENDS,
ACQUAINTANCES, DRINKING
BUDDIES AND WORK FRIENDS.
THE LATTER IS USUALLY
RELEGATED TO PEERS WHOM
INDEX
YOU WORK WITH, NOT BEING
“BEST BUDS” WITH YOUR
BOSS, OR IF YOU’RE A BOSS,
BEING BUDDIES WITH YOUR
EMPLOYEES.
veryone wants to be well-liked. It’s human nature. As a boss,
while that sentiment may still ring true, being well-liked
isn’t always the easiest thing to achieve. Overcompensating
by shifting the focus to being a buddy rather than a strong leader
who is respected can have its disadvantages.
in terms of who you’re surrounded by. In life, you choose your
friends. And favoritism can go the other way, backfiring when
it proves hard to leave business, especially bad business, at the
door when you’re off the clock and it’s time to exist as friends,
no longer as boss-employee.
All Relationships Are Not Created Equal
Be Social…But Not Too Social
Friendship has a very different color palette than that of the bossemployee relationship. Friends are equals. Bosses are at a higher
pay grade than employees and are responsible for that employee’s
growth and productivity. When employees and bosses are
friends, it may be hard to distinguish the genuine nature behind
someone’s motives in the work environment. Friends are friends
because they connect on a personal and social level, not because
they have ulterior motives or want to get ahead.
Social work functions are inevitable. As a boss, you’ll either want
to, or be required to, make an appearance. Along similar lines of
not playing favorites with employees while in the office, a boss
shouldn’t play favorites at social gatherings outside the office,
either. At work events like Happy Hour, luncheons and other
industry functions, a boss should be sure to mingle and socialize
with all employees equally.
Playing Favorites
As a boss, it is possible to be a generous, caring person while still
keeping the focus on work. Employees look to their bosses for
guidance, expertise and motivation, much like players look to
their coach or patients look to their therapist or doctor. Players
and patients don’t even strive for deep meaningful friendships in
those scenarios, they want a leader.
When a boss is buddies with his employees, favoritism can result.
That can take promoted employees from friend to the least liked
person in the office. As with friends, a boss’ relationship with his
or her employees is going to be different with everybody. In the
work environment, the element of choice is somewhat eliminated
8 A MERICAN LIQUID WASTE NOVE M BE R 2013
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